Free A Gentleman's Agreement by Joy Avery Page B

Bobby.” He
twirled her, but pulled her back close. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
    “I’m having a ball. I
never knew what I was missing by not having a large family until now. It’s
going to be kind of hard to say goodbye.”
    The music ceased, but
his need to cling to Eunice remained. “I want to show you something.” He took
her by the hand and led her through the crowd and to the back of the barn. They
climbed the set of stairs leading to the loft.
    “Oh, my God, Blake. Who
painted these?”
    “My mother.”
    “I didn’t know she was
an artist.” Eunice examined the multiple oil paintings hanging in the space.
“These are amazing. She has her great-great-grandfather’s talent for sure.”
    Blake folded his arms
across his chest and took joy in Eunice’s delight. The satiny burnt orange
dress she wore rode her curves as she ventured from frame to frame. The
tightening in his stomach when she bent to examine a print closer was enough to
bring him to his knees. When he imagined her legs wrapped around his waist, he
shifted his focus before he actually crumbled to his knees.
    “Blake?”
    When his eyes slid back
to her, she eyed him awkwardly. “Hmm?”
    “I asked how long has
your mother been painting?”
    “Ah…as long as I can
remember.”
    “This one is my
absolute favorite,” Eunice said, in regards to the painting of a vibrant
waterfall.
    “Follow me,” Blake
said. When they arrived at a pile of straw, he turned and freefell backwards
into the mound. “Try it.”
    “With my luck, I’ll
miss the pile and careen off the side.”
    “Chicken.” Blake tossed
a handful of straw at her.
    She eased down next to
him, mimicking his reclined position. “This feels better than my mattress.”
    “You must have a really
crappy mattress.”
    “I do,” she said.
“Maybe you should give me a raise so I can afford a better one.”
    “In your dreams.” Blake
chewed on a piece of the hay. “This is where I used to come when I needed alone
time. I didn’t have to worry about anyone bothering me.” He rested his hands on
top of his stomach. “Sort out my problems.”
    “What problems could you
have possibly had?”
    “Ha. More than I care
to mention.”
    “Your parents seem to
have had many happy years together.”
    “They’re blessed. What
they share is rare nowadays.”
    “Your mother reminds me
of my aunt. So warm and caring.”
    “She’s definitely the
rock of our family. My dad would be lost without her, for sure.” Blake sat
forward and rested his arms on his thighs. “I shouldn’t have asked you to do
this, Eunice. I’m sorry.”
    “Don’t apologize. I’m
having a great time. Besides, I could have said no. The truth is…I wanted to be
here. Actually, I needed to be here.”
    “Needed to be here?” For
a moment, he found himself excited by the words. But the thrill was short-lived.
    “I didn’t want to be
alone at Thanksgiving.”
    “Oh.” He could understand why. “For
what it’s worth, I’m really glad you’re here.”

Chapter 9
     
     
    Eunice stepped into her
boots and made sure they were snuggly fastened. Today they were visiting the
Farrington family farm. Everyone appeared confused as to why they were going
before Thanksgiving instead of after like they normally did. If she didn’t know
any better, she’d believed Blake had had something to do with it. But she
didn’t inquire, because if he’d said yes, she’d have felt guilty that everyone
had been forced to alter their plans for her.
    Being here felt so
right. Blake’s family had accepted her as one of their own. For the first time
since she could remember, she actually felt like she fit in somewhere. Too bad
it would all come to a screeching halt in a few days.
    “You might want to
double layer. It gets cold at the farm. Especially when the sun goes down,”
Blake said.
    “You can keep me warm.”
Eunice stopped abruptly. Shit . How’d she keep allowing these things to escape
past her lips? “I-I